General election 2010: Poll chaos 'militant' on £100k

General election 2010: Poll chaos 'militant' on £100k

Questions are being raised about Jenny Watson’s role in the voting shambles

Questions are being raised about Jenny Watson’s role in the shambles which saw thousands denied their right to vote.

Queues formed at polling stations just ahead of the 10pm closing time and some venues ran out of ballot papers.

Ms Watson is paid £100,000 a year for a three-day week running the Electoral Commission.

It is described as an independent body in charge of the “integrity and public confidence in the democratic process”.

Ms Watson blamed the “Victorian era” voting system for the chaos. But critics have cast doubt on her ability to remain neutral because she has been such a strong campaigner for electoral and constitutional reform.

The 46-year-old is described as a “modern militant” with left-wing views.

She was once part of a group which rubbished the House of Lords as a “relic” and has worked for quangos including Liberty and the Equal Opportunities Commission.

She was also campaign manager at Charter 88 – a left-wing group demanding constitutional reform.

Even official election monitors from Kenya and war-torn Sierra Leone slammed the British vote.

Marie Marilyn Jalloh, an MP from Sierra Leone, said: “Your system is a recipe for corruption."